NATIONWIDE — New research indicates the coronavirus could remain in the air for more than eight minutes after talking and President Donald Trump disagrees with Dr. Anthony Fauci on when schools should reopen.
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The National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania found that talking loudly for one minute in a confined space could generate at least 1,000 speech droplets lingering in the air for more than eight minutes.
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If someone were to inhale them, it could potentially trigger new infections.
That is why health officials say wearing a face covering is so important to protect others from your own droplets.
Meanwhile, Trump is publicly disagreeing with Fauci when the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases warned senators Tuesday that opening states too quickly could have dire consequences.
Fauci said a COVID-19 vaccine is unlikely before the fall semester and starting school without one could put lives at risk.
Trump was not happy with those comments.
"To me, it's not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools," the president said.
"I think they should open the schools. Absolutely. I think they should. And it's had very little impact on young people. But I think you should absolutely open the schools. Our country's got to get back and it's got to get back as soon as possible."
However, the notion that young people are immune to COVID-19 has been dismissed when there have been many reports of children and young adults — even with those who have no underlying health issues — ending up in the hospital or even dying.
Some schools, including both of California’s public university systems, have said they will not fully reopen in the fall and utilizing remote learning instead.
So far, Florida's university system has not made an announcement yet on what it plans to do.
